PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PALM OIL-BASED SOLID FRACTIONS WITH MORE THAN 20% OF TRIPALMITOYLGLYCEROL FROM MALAYSIAN FRACTIONATION PLANTS

The varied triacylglycerol composition of palm oil-based solid fractions (POSF) gives unique characteristics to its fractions. The potential to develop specific fractions for specific functionalities is very vital to the Malaysian palm oil industry in order to widen the usage of POSF for food formulations. Fractions with higher amounts of trisaturated triacylglycerols are excellent structural fats for food formulations. This compilation was directed towards obtaining the primary information on the characteristics of POSF available in Malaysia containing more than 20% of tripalmitoyl-glycerol. This information will be vital in guiding food formulators on the wide options of structural fats available in Malaysia. Commercially available POSF were collected and characterised. Their triacylglycerol composition, fatty acid composition, iodine value, dropping point, and solid fat content were determined. The results showed that the characteristics of the POSF were greatly influenced by the amount of tripalmitoyl-glycerol (PPP) present in the fractions. The amount of PPP had a substantial impact on the dropping point and the solid fat content profile. Hence, fractions were categorised according to their percentage of PPP to provide groupings with specific physical and chemical characteristics. The percentage of PPP in Group PPP 1 was 20% to 30%, PPP 2 was 40% to 50%, PPP 3 was 55% to 60%, PPP 4 was 62% to 63% and PPP 5 was 67% to 68%. The range of dropping points recorded for PPP 1 was 54°C to 56°C, PPP 2 was 59°C to 60°C, PPP 3 was 61°C to 62°C PPP 4 was 62.2°C to 62.4°C and PPP 5 was 63.1°C to 63.7°C. The range of solid fat content at 30°C recorded for PPP 1 was 44% to 54%, PPP 2 was 78% to 82%, PPP 3 was 86% to 89%, PPP 4 was 90% to 91% and PPP 5 was 91% to 93%. This compilation shows the extensive range of POSF which are able to provide a specific functionality to facilitate their specialised application in food formulations that are commercially available in Malaysia.